The invention relates generally to launch and recovery systems used at sea, and more particularly to a system mounted onboard a vessel that can launch and recover one or more unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).
Small unmanned systems such as unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) are generally considered to be vehicles not more than 12 feet in length. However, even these small vehicles can weigh up to several thousand pounds. Current launch and recovery techniques for these smaller unmanned systems from large surface ships are manually intensive. The ship usually must slow for significant periods of time to allow the UUVs to be launched or recovered. Alternatively, the UUVs may have to be loaded into Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) or other auxiliary boats that are manned and launched from the large mother ship. Onboard the auxiliary boat or RHIB, personnel must physically lift the UUVs overboard into the water. Depending on sea state and/or the hostile nature of the deploying environment, launch and recovery from RHIBs or other auxiliary boats places personnel in harms way and can significantly impact large ship positioning and operations.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system that can be used to launch and recover UUVs from the surface of the water.
Another object of the present invention to provide a system that can be remotely or autonomously controlled to launch and recover UUVs from the surface of the water.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious hereinafter in the specification and drawings.
In accordance with the present invention, a launch and recovery system for unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) includes a watercraft capable of navigating on a water surface. The watercraft has a stern endwall movable between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the stern endwall is substantially vertical. In the second position, the stern endwall is angled downward and away from the watercraft to define a ramp that extends toward the water surface. A storage platform mounted on the watercraft defines a storage area for at least one UUV. The storage platform has a forward end and an aft end with the aft end terminating at the stern endwall. An arm is pivotally mounted to the watercraft at a position forward of the storage platform. The arm has an outboard end that can be extended to positions aft of the watercraft and on either side thereof based on a pivot position of the arm. The arm is retractable such that its outboard end is positionable over the storage platform. A capture mechanism is mounted to the outboard end of the arm and is used to capture a UUV that maneuvers thereto in the water. A homing mechanism is coupled to the arm and is used to transmit a homing signal through the water for use by the UUV in maneuvering towards the capture mechanism.